Feeler mechanism



Nov. 29, 1927. 1,651,144

T. H. M GOWAN, SR

FEELER MEGHANI SM Filed March 15', 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 MENTOR. W44 mnBY ATTORNEY THOMAS H. MCGOWAN',

P'ATENT OFFICE.

SR; or J'EWETT CITY, CONNECTICUT, as'smnon T D'BAPER CORPORATION, OFHOPEDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MAINE.

FEELEB MECHANISM.

I Application filed March 15, 1927. Serial No. 175,552.

This invention relates to feeler mechanisms for looms, through theagency of which the operative condition of the loom is changed when thefilling becomes substantially exhausted.

It is now the ordinary practice to equip automatic looms with feelermechanisms which will call for areplenishment of filling prior tocomplete exhaustion of filling in the m shuttle. Looms of this characterare generally known as feeler looms, and one of the problems that attendsuch looms is the conservation of waste which remains upon the fillingcarrier or bobbin when replenishment is effected.

It has been proposed heretofore to use certain preliminary windings or abunch in an attempt to predetermine the amount of waste that will remainupon the ejected carrier or bobbin, and such bunch is usually (althou 11not always) placed adjacent the head 0 the filling carrier or bobbin,and beyond the bunch the main filling winds give to the mass of fillinga conical form. The present invention has for one of its objects theprovision of a feeler mechanism which shall act upon the conical windsof filling adjacent the bunch, and will be held from side slippingtowards the head of the filling carrier by engagement of the teeth ofthe feeler with the conical winds until the latter have been withdrawnfrom the filling carrier or bobbin, and thereupon permit movement of thefeeler longitudinally of the shuttle towards the head of the bobbin orbunch, preferably by the frontward pressure of the filling carrier uponthe feller, the result being that when filling replenishment is called,the bunch will form a predetermined amount of waste.

Another important feature of=the present invention consists in providingthe feeler with a series of alined teeth substantially parallel to theelement of the conical winds, with which it cooperates, so that thefeeler may act upon the filling at a point adjacent the head of thebobbin and yet'tipward of the bunch. \Vhere the feeler is displaced bythe frontward pressure upon the occurrence of substantial exhaustion offilling, the teeth are ordinarily permitted to slide along the fillingcarrier or bobbin and frequently may cause injury thereto, and a furtherfeature of the present invention therefore consists in providing thefeeler with a projection ad acent theftra lin end of the alined feelerteeth, with the'resu t that when the feele'ris init ally displaced bythe frontw'ard pressure agamst the surface of the filling carrier, theprojection on the feeler will be brought into action and remove theteeth from engagement with the filling carrier and push them frontwardlywithout engagement with the bunch adjacent the head of the bobbin orfilling carrier. v

The various features of the present invent1on will best be made clearfrom the following description and the accompanying drawings of one goodform thereof. p

In thedrawings:

Fig. 1 is a' perspective view of a loom at the feeler side provided withthe present invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing more particularly the operation ofthefeeler and its enga ement with the filling when a working app y ispresent in the shuttle on detecting i. I v Fig. 3 isa similar view tothat-of Fig. 2 with some of the parts broken away, showing the action ofthe feeler when the filling is substantially exhausted on a detectingbeat;

and

Fig. 4 is a sectional side elevation on line H of Fig. 3.

verse or change shaft common in feeler' looms, and pivotally connectedto the arm 2 at 3 is the. rearwardly extending arm 4, the

rear end portion 5 of which isadapted at times to be engaged by anoperating member, shown in the present instance of the in-' vention asthe part 6, carried by the weft hammer 0r cam follower 7.

Pivotally mounted at 8 on the loom frame or shipper stand is thetransmitter 9 having a pin 10 underlying the arm 4. Extending on theshipper stand. A spring 17 normally holds the arm in position, asindicated in Fig. 1. The mechanism thus far described 15 of usualconstruction and may be of any desired character.

Adjustabl'y supported on the shipper stand or a bracket secured theretois the feeler stand 18 in which is mounted the feeler carrier 19normally under the influence of a spring 20 tending to move the feelercarrier rearwardly and limited in this tendency by the usual stop 21.

The feeler carrier 19 has mounted thereon the actuator 22 which in thepresent instance of the invention consists of an arm pivotally supportedat 23 on the feeler carrier and provided with an adjustable bunter 24,the arm 22 being normally under the influence of means tending tomaintain the arm 22 in its upper position, and such means as indicatedin Fig. 4 consists of a spring actuated plunger or pin 25, theconstruction being such that should the bunter 24 be engaged by asurface on the lay as will presently be described, it will be turnedupon its pivotal mounting 23 to place the end 26 of the actuator 22 inposition to engage the arm 15 of the transmittin mechanism and effectreplenishment of lling.

The lay 27 is provided with the usual shuttle box 28 at the feelersideof the loom, and the front wall of the shuttle box has an opening 29which registers with a. corresponding opening 80 in the wall of theshuttle when the latter is properly boxed.

T The shuttle 31 carries the usual bobbin holding jaws 32 for engagementwith the usual rings 33 on the head of thefilling carrier or bobbin 34.

In accordance with the present invention,

' the fillin carrier or bobbin 34 has a bunch 35 woun thereon adjacentthe head of the filling carrier, as indicated in Fig. 3, and such bunchpredetermines the amount of waste that may be on the filling carrierwhen it is ejected. I

The main winds 36 are laced upon the filling carrier, as usual, an asindicated in Fig. 2, the main winds 36 are formed coneshaped, as at 37,from a short distance tipward' of the bunch toward and partiallycovering the bunch, and the feeler, presently to be described, isformedto cooperate with the main filling winds along an element of thecone adjacent the head of the filling carrier.

The rear end portion of the feeler carrier 19 is provided with a slotor'opening 38, Fig. 1, and at one side of the feeler carrier 19 thefeeler 39 is pivotally mounted upon a stud 40, the dimensions of thefeeler being such that should it be moved on its pivotal support 40 fromthe position indicated in Fig. 2 to that indicated in Fig. 3, the feelerwill pass into the slot or opening and be housed or covered by theoverlying portions of the rear end of the feeler carrier.

The feeler 39 is provided with a series of teeth 41 and such series ofteeth are alined in substantial parallelism with the element of the conewinds 37, with the result that each of the teeth of the series willcontact with the conical winds and hold the feeler from movementlongitudinally of the shuttle relative to the feeler carrier so long asa working supply of filling is present in the shuttle on a detectingbeat.

The rear end portion 42 of the feeler carrier 19- maybe bifurcated, asindicated in the drawings, to form the slot or opening for the receptionof the feeler, and such construction constitutes a good practical formof the present invention.

In order to hold the feeler in its normal feeling position, as indicatedin Fig. 2, a light spring extends transversely of the feeler carrier andengages the frontwardly extending tail portion 43 of the teeler. stop43* constituted by the side of the feeler carrier limits the action ofthe spring. In the present instance of the invention, the feeler carrieris provided with a' retaining notch 44 and similarly thefrontwa-rdlyextending tail 43 of the feeler is provided with a retainingnotch 45 into each of which an end portion 46 of a light spring 47 isplaced, the action of the spring'being transversely of the feelercarrier 19 and actingto hold .the feeler in the position indicated inFig. 2 with permissive movement, however, in a direction longitudinallyof the shuttle under the frontward pressure when filling issubstantially exhausted on a detecting beat.

Under normal weaving conditions with a working supply of filling in theshuttle, the series of alined teeth 41 of the feeler engage the elementof the conical'winds 37, such element being indicated by the line a.

Adjacent the trailing end of the alined feeler teeth, the feeler isprovided with rearwardly extending projection or smooth hump 48, thepurpose of which is to engage the surface of the filling carrier whenfilling is substantially exhausted and after the feeler itself has beeninitially moved in a direction longitudinally of the shuttle, the resultbeing that the projection or hump 48 will give an increased swingingmovement to the feeler on its pivotal support and not only withdraw thefeeler teeth frontwardly from the surface of the filling carrier, butcause them to be housed within the slot or opening 38 within the rearend portion of the feeler carrier. This extra frontward move- IOU endportion of the feeler carrier at 49 is cut away or made inclinedcorresponding to the incline joining the head and barrel of the fillingcarrier, as indicated in Fig. 3.

When a working supply of filling is present in the shuttle on adetecting beat, the alined teeth of the feeler will engage an element ofthe conical wind and serve to hold the feeler from movementlongitudinall of the shuttle on frontward movement 0 the lay, and alsocause the feeler carrier to be moved frontwardly and thus prevent thehunter 24 from engagement with the shutthe or other surface on the lay,so that the actuator 22 will remain in its inoperative po-.

sition. When, however, the filling has become substantially exhausted ona detecting beat, the frontward pressure of the surface of the fillingcarrier against the alined teeth 41 of the feeler will initially turnthe feeler on its pivotal connection with the feeler carrier until, whenthe pro'ection or hump 48, at the trailing end of t e alined teeth,engages the barrel of the filling carrier, the feeler will be furtherturned upon its pivotal support to carry the alined teeth away from thefilling carrier and into the slot or opening 38 in the rear end of thefeeler carrier, without danger of such teeth coming in contact with thebunch 35 adjacent the head of the bobbin. When the condition lastdescribed has been effected, the hunter 24 will engage the shuttle orother surface on the lay, as indicated in Fig. 4, and thereby turn theactuator 22 into operative relation with the transmitter arm 15, and, onfrontward movement of the feeler carrier, filling replenishment will beeffected.

hat is claimed is:

1. In a feeler mechanism for filling'replenishing looms, the combinationof a feeler carrier mounted for movement towards and from the front ofthe loom, an'actuator supported by the carrier in position to engage apart carried by the lay when the filling is substantially exhausted andarranged to be operated by said engagement to effect replenishment offilling, a feelerv pivotally mounted on the feeler carrier to cooperatewith a filling carrier having a bunch adjacent the head thereof andconical winds tipward of the bunch and having teeth arranged in alinedseries corresponding with the inclination of the element of the conicalwinds adjacent to the head of the filling carrier and tipward of thefilling bunch on the carrier, a spring normally acting to maintain thefeeler in said relation to the conical winds and yieldable on frontwardpressure of the denuded filling carrier to permit the feeler to sliptowards the fillingbunch when the main filling winds on the carrier aresubstantially exhausted.

2.--' In a feeler mechanism for fillin replenishing looms, thecombination of a eeler carrier mounted for movement towards and from thefront of the loom, an actuator mounted on the carrier to engage asurface on the lay when the filling is substantially exhausted to effectreplenishment of filling.

a feeler pivotally mounted on the feeler car- 7 rier to coo erate with afilling carrier having a bunc adjacent the head thereof and conicalwinds tipward of the bunch and having teeth arranged in alined series tocorrespond to an element of the conical winds adj acent the headof thefilling carrier, a spring and feeler stop acting normally to hold thefeeler in feeling position with the series of, teeth alined forengagement with the conical surface of filling adjacent the head of thefilling carrier and permitting movement of the feeler towards the headof the filling carrier by the frontward pressure when the main winds offilling are substantially exhausted. v

3. In a feeler mechanism for. looms, the combination of a feeler carriermounted for movement towards and from the front of the loom, a feelerpivotally mounted on the feeler carrier to cooperate with a fillingcarrier having a bunch adjacent the head thereof and conical windstipward of the bunch, a series of teeth on the feeler alined in seriesto correspond to an element of the conical winds and ada ted to bedisplacedtowards the bunch by t e frontward pressure of the .fillingcarrier when the conical winds have been substantially exhausted andprior to depletion of the bunch, an actuator mounted on the feelercarrier for engagement with a surface on the lay when the feeler isdisplaced towards the bunch by the frontward pressure, and meansoperated by the actuator for effecting replenishment of filling.

4. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the combination of a'feeler carriermounted for movement towards and from the front of the loom having ahorizontal recess atits rearward end, a feeler pivotally mounted on thefeeler carrier to cooperate with a filling carrier having a bunchadjacent the head there of and conical winds ti ward of the bunch, aseries of teeth'on the eeler alined in series to correspondto an elementof the conical winds and ada ted to be displaced towards the bunch bytiie frontward pressure of the filling carrier when the conical windshave been substantially exhausted and prior to 'depletion of the bunchand enter said recess in the rear end of the feeler carrier, an actuatormounted on the feeler carrier for engagement with a surface on the laywhen the fe'eler is displaced towards the bunch by the frontwardpressure, and means 0 erated bv the actuator for effecting replenishmentof filling.

5. In a feeler mechanism for looms, the

combination of a feeler carrier mountedfor movement towards and from thefront of the loom, an actuator mounted on the feeler carrier adapted toengage a surface-on the lay when the filling is substantially ex- 1hausted, a feeler mounted on the feeler carment with the filling carrieror bobbinwithin the shuttle when the feeler is displaced longitudinallyof the filling carrier by frontward pressure upon the feeler and causesthe feeler to be further displaced to thereby remove the feeler teethfrom engagement with the filling carrier.

smooth projection adjacent the trailing end.

of the series of feeler teeth to engage the filling carrier or bobbinwithin the shuttle when the filling is substantially exhausted on adetecting beat and the feeler has been initially moved longitudinally ofthe shuttle by frontward pressure upon the feeler to withdraw the teethfrom contact with the filling carrier within the shuttle.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name'to this specification.

THOMAS H. MCGQIVAN, SR.

